Meditation isn’t just a practice of sitting in stillness, it’s a practice of presence, focus, flow, letting go, and freedom. And, in many ways, creating art can have the same effect. From pottery to dance, there are many ways to experience art as mediation. One way to get into that meditative state in art is through painting with watercolors. “The...
It seems like everyone's looking for a way to boost brain function these days. Currently, estimates show that around 55 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with dementia, while 6 million children are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)[*][*].Meanwhile, college students and young professionals are clearing the shelves of the latest nootropics (AKA brain supplements), and the rest of the world...
In the past few decades, there has been a revolution in how we perceive the body. What appears to be an object, a three-dimensional anatomical structure, is actually a process, a constant flow of energy and information.Consider that in this very moment, your body is changing as it reshuffles and exchanges its atoms and molecules with the rest of the...
As a physician, one thing I hear often from patients is the question “This has been working fine for me, so why isn’t it now?” They are usually referring to a diet, exercise program, or lifestyle that had been keeping them balanced previously, but doesn’t seem to be anymore. The simple answer, according to Ayurveda, is that nature is constantly...
To keep Pitta from being aggravated, a few simple key words should be kept in mind. Healing words for Pitta dosha are Cool, Dry, Bitter, Sweet, Moderate.
For the Ask Dr. Sheila column, Dr. Sheila Patel, Chopra’s Chief Medical Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Sheila around health and wellness, please send an email to askdrsheila@chopra.com, and your question may be the one she answers next.In this article, Dr. Sheila answers a question about how to manage acid reflux and...
It is not only what we do during cleansing that results in a healthier, happier state of the body, but what we do after cleansing that determines the longevity or transience of any changes we undergo. Properly coming off a cleanse is a vital stage for achieving cleansing success. In all stages of a cleanse, patience is key to honoring...
Ayurveda is the traditional healing system from India that is literally translated as "the science of life." Through healthy daily practices and aligning with natural rhythms, one can prevent disease and create health on a daily basis. And although the outcome of Ayurvedic lifestyle and medical treatment is a healthy body and mind, the true aim of Ayurveda is to...
For the Ask Dr. Sheila column, Dr. Sheila Patel, Chopra’s Chief Medical Officer, answers questions from our community. In this article, Dr. Sheila answers a question about how Ayurveda can offer support for health issues when the individual has tried a variety of modalities without success.
For the Ask Dr. Sheila column, Dr. Sheila Patel, Chopra’s Chief Medical Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Sheila around health and wellness, please send an email to askdrsheila@chopra.com, and your question may be the one she answers next.In this article, Dr. Sheila answers a question about how to determine the best daily...
As we welcome in the New Year, resolutions might be on your mind. Your goals for the year ahead can fall under a plethora of categories: financial, physical, family-related, education, etcetera. However, the one thing that is going to make it possible for you to manifest these goals is to reconnect with your soul.Ancient texts of Ayurveda have exalted the...
During the winter season and holidays, many of us have the tendency to want to stay inside, snuggle up, share cookies, food, and wine with friends and family. While having small amounts of our favorite holiday treats is an innocent celebration, if we over-indulge for too long, we will inevitably start facing the consequences of imbalance and the increase of...
The Ayurvedic term for self-love is Snehana. Love is nothing but unconditional acceptance of the other person. We love our parents. We love our children. We love our friends. Parents’ love for their children is exalted as unconditional.Now, ask yourself, do you unconditionally accept yourself?How do you express your love to your loved ones? Buy gifts for them, make them...
“Rest if you must. But don’t you quit.” – Edgar A. Guest The human body is smart. When you feel exhausted, you “feel tired to the bone”. When you start feeling sleepy, it is the body’s way of asking you to slow down and rest. It is the body’s natural way of letting us know that it is time to...
In the summer, it is important to balance the fiery pitta energy with ways to cool off, calm down, and restore. If we do not purposefully schedule downtime in summer, tempers can flare, irritability can get the best of us, and we can burn out more easily.This is the season when children are home from school, and we feel the...
When we’re trying to cultivate holistic well-being, we must consider what impact our work and workplaces are having on our lives. It’s no secret that a vast majority of our days are spent in work environments. Whether you work from home or commute to another location, you will likely see a pattern that shows space at the very beginning and...
Shorter workouts have taken over the at-home exercise space with everything from online yoga to Pilates to cardio classes being pared down to shorter increments. For many, this switch-up has been welcomed with open arms, making it even easier to get a workout into a jam-packed day. But, time isn’t the only reason why this workout trend has grown in...
They say laughter is the best medicine and while that is certainly true for our mental health — laughing releases endorphins, which can boost the mood! — it’s also wildly true for our physical health. Laughing requires more oxygen intake so, in a way, it’s like its own form of breathwork. It can also even help temporarily relieve pain. But,...
Have you ever noticed you’re more likely to catch a cold if you’ve recently been stressed, slept poorly, or been emotionally upset? That last one is particularly interesting evidence of the mind-body connection! Most humans are much more likely to succumb to an infection or a flare of an auto-immune condition or fibromyalgia if they have recently experienced emotional distress....
Every aspect of your life, from work and finances to relationships and hobbies, is dependent upon your energy. Abundant energy provides the necessary fuel to support important areas of focus while diminished energy leads to unfulfilled potential. The practices that follow are proven methods of increasing energy. When implemented regularly, these routines not only enhance energy, they slow cellular aging,...
Hopefully you enjoyed the holidays with friends and family, celebrated the season, and ate some of your favorite foods.During this time of year, we all loosen up on some of our routine in order to connect to others and balance our regular yearly routine with some fun. That being said, now that the holidays are over you may notice some...
“You’re grounded.”Do you remember when that statement was a bad thing? If my parents said those words to me when I was a teenager, I knew that I had messed up in a big way.These days, though, I take those words as a compliment.While in the midst of fighting this ongoing pandemic, suffering from the consequences of extreme weather, dealing...
The word “empowerment” suggests something very desirable, namely, being in charge of your own life. But personal empowerment seems far out of reach during difficult times—a global pandemic creates uncertainty, economic hardship, fear of contagion, and widespread increases in anxiety, depression, and domestic violence. Who doesn’t feel powerless at such a time?Yet, there is one advantage to such distressing experiences....
Gardening is one of the most meditative and relaxing practices. And it can provide great healing, too. This is especially true when it comes to medicinal plants and herbs, which can provide a range of benefits, including supporting the immune system, decreasing stress and anxiety, and so much more.
We often associate gardening with spring but, you can reap the benefits of growing your own produce in the fall, too. This is both true for your plate and for your mental health, as there are mind-body perks to sinking your fingers into the soil and planting seeds from scratch.Up ahead, we take a closer look at why planting a...
Maintaining the health of your body on a cellular level takes an orchestration of several lifestyle factors – with diet being one of the most impactful. Why? Because every morsel of food you put into your body becomes a part of the framework of your biology.This means that the nutrients you eat eventually become the materials that make up your...
The search for a youth-restoring, health-promoting, vitality-producing elixir is ages old. Yet, food may be the closest you can get to the fabled fountain of youth. Research unequivocally demonstrates that dietary choices have the ability to mitigate the aging processes, improve immune function, protect the body from disease, increase mental acuity, and “reverse abnormal gene activation.” Whether you are looking...
If you’re looking for a way to increase your energy and vitality this cold weather season, look no further than high vibrational foods. Everything on Earth has a vibration because it is made up of energy. However, when we say high vibrational foods, we mean “foods that are closest to their natural form and carry the energy of the Earth...
From the ancient Yoga Sutras by Patañjali, the sutra sthira sukham asanam can be translated into English as “may the posture be steady and full of ease (or joy).” For anyone new to yoga, it might seem obvious to aim for steadiness and strength. Therefore, it is the prominence of sukham — signifying the eternal sense of joy, bliss, or...
In the first months of the year, we tend to reflect on the past and create wishes and intentions for the new year. Now is the perfect time to journal as a way of engaging in conversation with yourself. Whether you need to vent, ask questions, or explore a complicated situation, there’s nothing quite like sitting down with a journal,...
Many people are finding themselves changing careers during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period. This two-part article series explores how three professionals prioritize health, wellness, and spiritual development as their careers transform from what was to what is.In Part 1 of Changing Careers to Understand Holistic Success, I shared about my own career change and introduced the stories of hotelier...
Many people are finding themselves changing careers during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period. This two-part article series explores how three professionals prioritize health, wellness, and spiritual development as their careers transform from what was to what is.In Part 1 of Changing Careers to Understand Holistic Success, I share about my own career change and introduce the stories of hotelier...
In response to the coronavirus crisis many competitions, groups, clubs, classes, and activities have been postponed or canceled. Even the Olympics have been postponed until 2021. While most people are supportive of such actions in support of public health, expectant participants have experienced a deep sense of frustration and loss, especially those whose competitive careers were abruptly cut short. Thankfully,...
It’s early January, and you stroll into the 5:00 p.m. vinyasa yoga class that you cherish because it has just the right number of students (not so small where it feels awkward and not so large where your mat is a finger’s distance away from your neighbor’s mat). You have a favorite spot in the room, and your class has...
Meditation isn’t just a practice of sitting in stillness, it’s a practice of presence, focus, flow, letting go, and freedom. And, in many ways, creating art can have the same...
It seems like everyone's looking for a way to boost brain function these days. Currently, estimates show that around 55 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with dementia, while 6...
In the past few decades, there has been a revolution in how we perceive the body. What appears to be an object, a three-dimensional anatomical structure, is actually a process,...
As a physician, one thing I hear often from patients is the question “This has been working fine for me, so why isn’t it now?” They are usually referring to...
To keep Pitta from being aggravated, a few simple key words should be kept in mind. Healing words for Pitta dosha are Cool, Dry, Bitter, Sweet, Moderate.
For the Ask Dr. Sheila column, Dr. Sheila Patel, Chopra’s Chief Medical Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Sheila around health and wellness,...
It is not only what we do during cleansing that results in a healthier, happier state of the body, but what we do after cleansing that determines the longevity or...
Ayurveda is the traditional healing system from India that is literally translated as "the science of life." Through healthy daily practices and aligning with natural rhythms, one can prevent disease...
For the Ask Dr. Sheila column, Dr. Sheila Patel, Chopra’s Chief Medical Officer, answers questions from our community. In this article, Dr. Sheila answers a question about how Ayurveda can...
For the Ask Dr. Sheila column, Dr. Sheila Patel, Chopra’s Chief Medical Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Sheila around health and wellness,...
As we welcome in the New Year, resolutions might be on your mind. Your goals for the year ahead can fall under a plethora of categories: financial, physical, family-related, education,...
During the winter season and holidays, many of us have the tendency to want to stay inside, snuggle up, share cookies, food, and wine with friends and family. While having...
The Ayurvedic term for self-love is Snehana. Love is nothing but unconditional acceptance of the other person. We love our parents. We love our children. We love our friends. Parents’...
“Rest if you must. But don’t you quit.” – Edgar A. Guest The human body is smart. When you feel exhausted, you “feel tired to the bone”. When you start...
In the summer, it is important to balance the fiery pitta energy with ways to cool off, calm down, and restore. If we do not purposefully schedule downtime in summer,...
When we’re trying to cultivate holistic well-being, we must consider what impact our work and workplaces are having on our lives. It’s no secret that a vast majority of our...
Shorter workouts have taken over the at-home exercise space with everything from online yoga to Pilates to cardio classes being pared down to shorter increments. For many, this switch-up has...
They say laughter is the best medicine and while that is certainly true for our mental health — laughing releases endorphins, which can boost the mood! — it’s also wildly...
Have you ever noticed you’re more likely to catch a cold if you’ve recently been stressed, slept poorly, or been emotionally upset? That last one is particularly interesting evidence of...
Every aspect of your life, from work and finances to relationships and hobbies, is dependent upon your energy. Abundant energy provides the necessary fuel to support important areas of focus...
Hopefully you enjoyed the holidays with friends and family, celebrated the season, and ate some of your favorite foods.During this time of year, we all loosen up on some of...
“You’re grounded.”Do you remember when that statement was a bad thing? If my parents said those words to me when I was a teenager, I knew that I had messed...
The word “empowerment” suggests something very desirable, namely, being in charge of your own life. But personal empowerment seems far out of reach during difficult times—a global pandemic creates uncertainty,...
Gardening is one of the most meditative and relaxing practices. And it can provide great healing, too. This is especially true when it comes to medicinal plants and herbs, which...
We often associate gardening with spring but, you can reap the benefits of growing your own produce in the fall, too. This is both true for your plate and for...
Maintaining the health of your body on a cellular level takes an orchestration of several lifestyle factors – with diet being one of the most impactful. Why? Because every morsel...
The search for a youth-restoring, health-promoting, vitality-producing elixir is ages old. Yet, food may be the closest you can get to the fabled fountain of youth. Research unequivocally demonstrates that...
If you’re looking for a way to increase your energy and vitality this cold weather season, look no further than high vibrational foods. Everything on Earth has a vibration because...
From the ancient Yoga Sutras by Patañjali, the sutra sthira sukham asanam can be translated into English as “may the posture be steady and full of ease (or joy).” For...
In the first months of the year, we tend to reflect on the past and create wishes and intentions for the new year. Now is the perfect time to journal...
Many people are finding themselves changing careers during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period. This two-part article series explores how three professionals prioritize health, wellness, and spiritual development as their...
Many people are finding themselves changing careers during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period. This two-part article series explores how three professionals prioritize health, wellness, and spiritual development as their...
In response to the coronavirus crisis many competitions, groups, clubs, classes, and activities have been postponed or canceled. Even the Olympics have been postponed until 2021. While most people are...
It’s early January, and you stroll into the 5:00 p.m. vinyasa yoga class that you cherish because it has just the right number of students (not so small where it...